I met with a friend over the weekend who has battled with acne for over a decade. He had always maintained that he was acne prone due to his oily skin and hence used harsh cleansing and alcohol laced moisturisers to help dry up the oil. I had believed his skin to be quite dry and therefore producing excess oil to counter the severe dehydration.

Over the years I met many people with a similar problem. This only stressed the importance of using the correct organic moisturiser or face cream for your skin type.

How to know if your skin is dehydrated even though you have acne?

If your skin occasionally feels tight especially after cleansing. Your skin can also feel quite sensitive. Your skin also may feel tight after cleansing but have get oily and shiny after a few hours – this is the skins compensatory mechanism that aggravates the break outs.

What organic moisturiser should you use for dry skin that is acne prone?

You need to use a nourishing organic moisturiser or organic face cream. Seems strange in light of the acne. However when skins dehydrated the negative feedback system kicks in to produce oil. If you nourish and hydrate your skin efficiently, your skin rebalances itself and produces less oil, hence fewer clogged pores and breakouts. Give a moisturiser like the Rejuvenating Face Cream a try.

Organic moisturiser or organic face cream for Oily Skin

If your skin is genuinely oily, you still need to ensure that you do not use a product that dehydrates the skin, as this just encourages it to produce more oil. What you need is an alcohol free, gel like moisturiser as these have a high water content, which will keep skin well hydrated. The skin then does not have to produce excess oil to compensate. Stay away from alcohol and SLS based cleansers and moisturisers. Also use a moisturiser that contains ingredients like neem (Melia azadirachta leaf extract) which has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Make sure that the product is designed to balance sebum production and contains sebum balancing ingredients such as arginine.

Phenoxyethanol, glycol ether often derived from natural sources, is a popular antibacterial and preservative chemical, used by many so called natural and organic skin care brands. It is also used in many vaccines and bug repellants.

A few beauty brands marketed as the greenest in the industry use phenoxyethanol as a preservative, suggesting that it is derived from grapefruit. Well, cocamide DEA is derived from coconut but this doesn’t make it any less toxic!

Chemically known as ethylene glycol phenyl ether or ethylene glycol monophenyl ether, phenoxyethanol is an ethoxylated compound that may be contaminated with carcinogenic toxin 1,4-Dioxane.

According to Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, phenoxyethanol affected brain and nervous system in animals at moderate doses. In 1990 Journal of the American College of Toxicology reported that phenoxyethanol also acts as an endocrine disruptor that also caused damage to bladder and acute pulmonary edema in animals. Early 1980s studies also suggest that phenoxyethanol can cause DNA mutations – again, only in animals, as it was not tested on humans.

Phenoxyethanol is a scientifically proven irritant to human skin and eyes (Comparison of objective and sensory skin irritations of several cosmetic preservatives. Lee E, An S, Choi D, Moon S, Chang I. Contact Dermatitis. 2007 Mar;56(3):131-6.) and it is classified as irritant in European Union. Phenoxyethanol is also restricted for use in Japan.

No matter what the studies say, phenoxyethanol is deemed perfectly safe for use in cosmetics in the U.S. and UK in concentrations of up to 1 percent. This means, a 200 ml bottle of shampoo contains a teaspoon of phenoxyethanol!

The most surprising it that the Soil Association, the organic certification body in the UK permits the use of phenoxyethanol in products that it certifies organic. Please read the organic ingredients on products.

All Organic Apoteke products are free of phenoxyethanol and phenoxyethanol residues.

Organic Apoteke uses Food-safe ingredients. We do not test on animals.

Our products are tested on healthy human volunteers. We know our customers prefer this. Would you not prefer products that are tested on human skin? Or even better, products that are proven effective on human skin?

All Organic Apoteke products are certified organic by ECOCERT. We are also certified by the Vegetarian Society. Our products are not tested on animals, nor do we use ingredients from animal slaughter.

Lauren Fornes is an esthetician and one of the most charming people we have met since bringing Organic Apoteke to the US in 2007. Lauren’s much loved blog Faceparlour is informative and smart, and is morphing into something new and exciting: The Skinny (a private sale site that offers luxury skin care at affordable prices).

We had a chat with Lauren as she gets ready to offer Organic Apoteke (from Nov 11th to the 18th).

What do you look for in a skin care products?Right now I’m pregnant, so given that I look for a combination of safe and effective ingredients.

With winter coming up what type of product do you recommend?Most people tend to have drier skin, so I recommend switching to more nourishing products. The easiest way to do this is usually with a cleanser. If you use a cleansing gel or a foaming cleanser, switch to a cleansing milk or cream. You could also consider switching to a richer moisturizer, if your skin feels tight immediately after application.

Are there any ingredients that you look for in your fall and winter skin care products?In the fall and winter I like to feel cozy, so I am drawn to scents that are cozy like rose, and chamomile and mint. I find those charming in the winter.

Your first experience with Organic Apoteke was with our Buttermilk Cleanser, which you gave a very high score (the highest ever, I believe) what do you look for in a cleanser?At the time I was rating products based on three criteria: safety, efficacy and sustainability. This product scored remarkably high in all three categories. Additionally, on the marketing side, it didn’t over-sell or over-promise, which is a common tendency is skin care.

Why did you give it (Buttermilk Cleanser) such a high rating?It is not hard to create an effective cleanser. But many of the cleaning agents (surfactants and the like) are the same ingredients you use to clean your car or your dishes. Your skin is more sensitive. The ingredients may get absorbed into your bloodstream. It’s important to maintain the effectiveness but without the harshness. Your Buttermilk Cleanser was light and creamy, a very good natural, holistic alternative.

You’re pregnant, congratulations! How has this affected your approach to personal care products?The moment I found out I was pregnant I cried with joy and panicked a little…it was one thing to expose myself toxic ingredients, but I couldn’t do that to this tiny person inside me. I went through the bathroom cabinet and got rid of all the junk, then headed to a local organic home store and bought all the safe and effective alternatives.

You recently started The Skinny. What is it and how does it work?You (and possibly your readers) are familiar with the sample sale craze (Gilt Groupe, Hautelook, etc). We’re similar, except we’re focused exclusively on luxury skin care at affordable prices (up to 70% off retail). You can join at www.shoptheskinny.com. As a member, you receive weekly emails announcing a new brand shopping event. This week we’re featuring Organic Apoteke, so I’m sure your readers will be excited!

How is going?It is going really well. We’ve been written up by Daily Candy, Cooking Light Magazine. Plus, we’re getting amazing feedback from our members – that is the most encouraging part.

A balanced, deep cleansing natural face wash is the first step in any acne treatment

After much nagging from my wife about the so called toxic dumps (blackheads) and volcano’s (open pores) on my face, which would erupt to produce ash clouds far more disruptive than we are currently experiencing, I finally gave Active Face Cleanse Gel a try. And guy’s don’t tell my wife, but I just love it. I have had oily skin all my life with breakouts a common occurrence. I assumed that was how it had to be. Some guys looked like Brad Pit and some like an oil rig. Either way you just had to live with it. I have now been educated…. I have been using the Active Face Cleanse Gel before I shave, to clean out my pores and ensure my skin is fresh and tingling. And my skin looks pretty good, even if I have to say so myself.

I was once rushing and applied the Active Face Cleanse Gel and instead of rinsing off, I shaved. What do you know, it worked really well as a shave gel. Hey PRESTO, no need for shaving gel. It gave me a fanstastic clean shave and my skin felt so fresh and oil free throughout the day.

MONEY SAVING TIP: if you get your partner to buy this product, then you can experience its benefits for free. Or if you are feeling generous, you buy it and share . It will definitely earn you brownie points.

Good news for all European and amazon.co.uk regular subscribers. Organic Apotekes certified organic herbal skin care will be available on amazon.co.uk. Look out for the great offers to mark the launch. Search Organic Apoteke on amazon.co.uk.

For centuries we have known that exercise is essential for good health – it gets the heart pumping and increases circulation. We know this is fact because after a 5 mile run our cheeks are glowing red and our heart rate is up. Improved circulation ensures that all the cells in our body get the nutrients and oxygen they need.

Organic Apoteke has developed products that also get the blood flowing to your cheeks without the 5 mile run. In fact this occurs while you sit on your couch for 15 minutes.

We all try to be healthy, try to avoid the nasties, but there are times when we all over indulge. The holidays are one such time. Thats okay, because there are great products that help you detox. We are all in need of those. Megs Makeup reviewed Organic Apoteke’s Detox Face Mask. See what they have to say here.

Researchers from Japan’s Josai University, have published exciting research about animal testing alternatives in Pharmacetical Research Journal November 2009 [PMID: 19904581] GOOD NEWS!. Their conclusion:

Ingredient concentration in skin can be precisely predicted using a silicone membrane

The image is with thanks from Wikipedia where the Founder (Jimmy Wales) has put a personal ‘Appeal to Read’ about animal testing of cosmetics.

Talking of images…..With Copenhagen Climate Change Conferencehttp://en.cop15.dk/ in its final stages…..Even the Google UK Doodle competition highlights the natural beauty of the Earth, by a 15-year old artist inspired by David Attenborough’s unique perspective of Nature.

Sophie Redford(15) inspired by the beauty of the natural world

I would love to read your views on animal testing. I can assure you that Organic Apoteke does NOT & has NEVER been involved in animal testing. We are therefore accredited as cruelty-free and Vegetarian Society approved.